WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to ship out to the states millions of COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 in the coming weeks, likely ending months of waiting for parents and caregivers.
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha said Thursday that if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorizes emergency use of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for young kids after its June 15 meeting, the federal government would immediately begin shipping the specialty doses.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would need to recommend emergency use of the vaccines before health care providers could begin administering them, but Jha said he expects vaccinations for children under 5 could begin as soon as Tuesday, June 21.